We have been hearing from customers that the 1997 vintage in California
is marvelous! It seems virtually every Cabernet is worthy of high accolades and
scores in the mid-90s by those who rate wines on a numerical scale.

The vintage was one which saw many varieties attain ripeness within a short period of
time. This means some vintners had difficulty in finding an open fermentation tank
to accommodate grapes which needed to be picked. Some wines, perhaps as a direct
result of this, or perhaps because of curious vintage conditions, had difficulty in
fermenting to total dryness.

It has not been uncommon for California Zinfandel wines, the product of a grape variety
which doesn't ripen evenly, to have a "sweet" note from over-ripe fruit.
With some 1997s Cabernets, we've noticed not only a sweet note in the wines, but actual
residual sugar. Many California Chardonnays have a bit of sweetness.
This is often an intentional consideration of the winemaker or marketing crew. It
will be interesting to see weather sugar remains a part of the California Cabernet
landscape in the future or if the 1997s we're tasting these days are merely a one-vintage
aberration.

A few critics who are quite vocal about minimal cellar treatment (seemingly having a
preference for unfiltered wines) have not spoken up about the ramifications of residual
sugar in Cabernets. You see, Cabernet can be made with a minimum of filtration due,
in part, to its lengthy maturation period in an oak barrel. The wine, thanks to an
ample quantity of tannin, will "fall bright" and achieve a good deal of clarity
on its own. However, wines with residual sugar need some sort of stabilizing
mechanism. Typically table wines must be sterile-filtered to remove yeasts which
would feed on residual sugar. This is the "insurance" to prevent a
secondary fermentation in the bottle (quite messy and expensive to the wine and the
reputation of the winery).

So...with that in mind...we assembled a set of North Coast Cabernets and put them to the
test.

Here's what we found.....

THE WINES

GERALD'S RANK

ELLEN'S RANK

BOB'S RANK

GROUP RANKING

TOTAL POINTS

1sts/2nds/Lasts

DRY
CREEK VINEYARD1997 Dry Creek Valley
"Epoch"$62.99

4

3

2

5

76

1/3/1

GIRARD (Rudd) (Rudd)1997 Napa Valley"Red Wine"
$40

5

8

3

6

92

0/1/2

HANNA1997 Sonoma Valley"Bismark Ranch"$59.99

8

1

7

1

57

8/0/1

ChateauMONTELENA1997 Napa Valley"The Montelena Estate" "The Montelena Estate"To be released in March 2001

7

7

8

8

106

0/2/7

ChateauST. JEAN1997 Sonoma County"Cinq Cpages"
$54.99

2

2

4

3

61

1/5/1

SEAVEY
1997 Napa Valley
$67

6

6

5

7

96

1/2/3

SILVERADO VINEYARDS1997 Napa Valley"Limited Release"$100

3

4

6

2

58

2/4/0

SPOTTSWOODE1997 Napa Valley
$75

1

5

1

4

66

4/0/2

Notes by Gerald Weisl with additional commentary from Bob Gorman

8th Place: CHATEAU MONTELENA 1997 "Montelena Estate"
CABERNETThanks to one of the participants in the tasting, we were able to have a
sneak preview of Montelena's 1997 Cabernet. Not slated for release until the spring
of 2001, we included this in the field, handicapping it as one of the
"contenders" for the top spot. You can imagine our surprise when we
unveiled the last place wine and it was the normally-high scoring Montelena!
The adjectives used to described the aromas were not ones you'd expect to see on a wine
label, certainly! "Horse barn." said one taster. "Baby
poop." intoned another. One of the medical corps described this as having a
fragrance reminiscent of 'band-aids'." Most tasters pegged this as having some
shading of Brettanomyces, a yeast which contributes a leathery, saddle, horsy, fecal note
to many wines. "Cedary, alcohol, sage fragrances...lean in structure with a
short, minerally finish." is how another taster described the Montelena.
Another echoed part of this sentiment, finding the wine "alcoholic and
hot." Someone else found a "warm note, cassis-like fruit with a green,
vegetal note." Another fellow, tasting these apart from the group
setting, pegged this as his favorite, saying "I like many Bordeaux wines, which this
resembles."
Bob commented Brettannomyces rears its ugly head again! showing vegetal, weedy,
fish-emulsion stuff while Cab fruit struggles to be set free. On the palate, the Cabernet
gets through enough to be identified but the wine seems totally out of whack. Could I
drink this?! In the following day or two, it should be noted, the Cab
fruit DID free itself, coming on much more in the Montelena style of yore.
I found a mildly herbal, cassis fragrance with light oak undertones and a lightly
leathery, Brett character. It's fairly full-bodied and fairly tannic. The
earthy and leathery notes show up front on the palate....it needs perhaps a decade of
aging, though it will be interesting to see how the leathery/meaty elements develop.
Will they recede or dominate?

7th Place: SEAVEY 1997 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon"One dimensional, ripe, jammy, plummy fruit with some sweet oak...low in
acidity, yet high in tannin." was how one taster sounded off about this
small-production Conn Valley wine. Most people seemed in agreement. Another
taster felt this was "lacking in complexity, though it has black fruit notes...really
tannic, though."
Bob was far less negative. Sweet ripe fruit, sweet oak, a bit shrill at first but
straightforward blackcurrant Cab fruit developed nicely. There was a metallic edge on the
palate with grippy, bitter tannins, nice herbaceous notes and fair length. The wine should
develop nicely over the next 2-3 years
I found hints of violets and currant-like fruit with a touch of oak. Something,
though, makes this wine seem "flat" and less vibrant or vivacious. On the
palate there is a fair bit of tannin and, again, it tastes "flat."

6th Place: GIRARD 1997 Napa Valley "Red Wine."The Girard family sold its winery to Leslie Rudd. This is, we have been
told, the final wine to wear the "Girard" label and future wines, made under
David Ramey, will be Rudd-labeled or "Rudd Estate."
"Tobacco" notes were found by the first to offer an opinion. "Green
tannins and it's bitter as hell." said another devil in the crowd.
"Indistinctive," started another taster, continuing, "black pepper and
sharp...this has a fair amount of tannin." Someone else found "Good
complexity to this wine," describing it further as "elegant" and having
"unsweetened chocolate notes and a minerally finish." Someone else found
"bitter chocolate."
Bob liked this one for its dark-toned, ripe, slightly tarry, authoritative Cab,
cassis and a nicely restrained oak component, deep but undeveloped. Yet it was less
appealing on the palate with its soft, fully ripe tone and flat alkali finish
I found a lot of oak to the nose, covering what fruit might be buried underneath.
All in all, though, it's a nice, elegant, enjoyable red wine with a modest amount of
tannin. Five to ten years aging is about right. One star.

5th Place: DRY CREEK VINEYARD 1997 "Epoch" Cabernet
SauvignonFor those keeping track of these things, Dry Creek sent out an amazingly
expensive release letter in December of 1999 saying this wine would be released at 12:01
am, January 1, 2000 for the new millennium. Somehow, I wonder weather there was a
line of customers outside the cellar at that precise moment, hoping to be able to purchase
a bottle.
The first participant to describe this found "cattle feed, grain fragrances,"
along with a "tart note" and "wild-berry and a Zinfandel-like
character." It was further described as "lacking complexity with a short,
oak finish." "Turley Cabernet." commented one person. Another taster
also found a "Zinfandel-like nose." Someone else felt this was
"big, over-ripe and shows a lot of oak." Another taster found "nutmeg
notes with red fruits...spicy...spicy oak and it's not as tannic as many of the
others."
Bob liked its ripe, intense, cassis-like Cabernet fruit. He found it ripe and extracted
but with reasonable tannins; very nice indeed!
My notes are very positive for its distinctively different aromas of cassis and rosemary,
with lots of nice oak. The rosemary fragrance triggered a memory of a Zinfandel
which I tasted recently. The Zin was also made by Dry Creek Vineyard! The wine
is very ripe and rich on the palate...fairly big Cab with plum and black cherry fruit and
lots of woodsy notes.
One and a half stars.

4th Place: SPOTTSWOODE 1997 Napa Cabernet SauvignonThis wine had people placed all over the ranking chart. A number of
firsts were offset by two last place votes. Curiously, no second place votes, but a
number of thirds and fifths.
The lead-off vocalist described this as having "Fruit tannins and it's quite balanced
with more complexity in the aromas...tangerine peel, menthol, cherries, sweet fragrances,
dusty, berry pie and black licorice." Others marked this down, describing this
as "light." Another noted this to have "nice flavors with exotic oak
notes...vanillin and plums." Another person said this has a "creamy oak
finish."
Bobs clear favorite showing warm, rich oak presence with lovely blackcurrant
fruit. Other trace elements emerged as it opened up to show its complexity: spice,
sweet herbs and a metallic edge. Classic Napa Cab fruit, long secure, balanced,
complex and likely to be more so as it develops with nicely calculated acid and tannin
levels to guide it through several years of development."
I found this to be very vanillin on the nose, with sweet, creamy notes and really good
fruit. Very polished and elegant on the palate, with a lovely balance of fruit and
wood. It has some muscle from the tannins and ought to last for 8-12 years.
Two stars.

3rd Place: CHATEAU ST. JEAN 1997 Sonoma County "Cinq Cpages"One lady, having had chvre in a salad at lunch, said this had a fragrance
of "goat cheese...also green olives." Another taster found the texture to
be "velvety." Someone else liked the "long finish."
Another taster said it's "...a bit fat." Yet another liked its "long,
oaky finish."
Bob found a malolactic note of butterscotch, the M-L no doubt giving rise to the
goat cheese impression. "Straightforward blackcurrant fruit. Elegant
entry with easy tannins, the wine has a ways to go and the balance of components to get it
there; but concentration wants a bit. The wine will improve but never scale the
heights.
I found sweet oak and cedar notes on the nose with lots of nice fruit. It's a rather
big, deep Cabernet with nice fruit and some wood on the center of the palate.
One-and-a-half-stars. Aging potential of 5-8-12 years.

2nd Place: SILVERADO VINEYARDS 1997 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
"Limited Release""Candied red fruit and less lush on the palate but with Asian spices and
exotic notes...softer tannins, too." were the words of the first opinionated
participant. "Basil and mint" notes were found by someone else.
Others nodded in approval when someone suggested this is "a very nice
wine...everything's in place and balanced." It was further described as having
"plums and currant fruit with toasty oak, but a bit light." Someone else
said flatly, "This tastes like Cabernet!"
Bob found a lovely nose with a creamy note from the malolactic fermentation, oak,
cherries (arguing a solid dose of Merlot) and sweet herbs. But in spite of its easy entry
it had a sharp acid note along with a warmish (alcohol) note; a pushover of a
wine but shallow and showing only fair concentration.
My score sheet noted the Australian-like violet fragrances of ripe fruit. Berries and
nice wood. I thought it might be off-dry. The flavors are nice, but a bit less
dramatic on the palate as compared to the exuberance one finds to the nose. I'd peg
it as having 5-8 years of aging potential. One to two stars.

1st Place: HANNA 1997 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon "Bismark
Ranch""Bitter and hot." said one taster in describing the group's
top-ranking wine. "Grapefruit" notes were found by someone else, while a
number of people found "green leaf," "leafy," "herbal
notes." One critic nailed this as "Smooth and sort of
Zinfandel-like." Another described it as being a "Cocktail Cabernet...you
can drink it by itself!" Another found "great complexity: black cherry and
currants...oak...chocolate and vanilla." Another felt this was the "most
balanced" wine of the tasting.
Bob found a shrill note, possible ethyl-acetate, the precursor of volatile acidity;
sweet wood and then some 'okay' Cabernet fruit finally emerged. Metallic and shrill but
hot and a sweet edge which knocks it down. Cocktail Cab indeed!
I found some red fruit notes to the nose with some sweet oak. I was bothered by a
weedy and vegetal note. The wine offered the same vegetal/herbal character on the
palate, elements of unripe or less-than-perfectly mature fruit. Yet on the palate
there's also a bit of residual sugar, making for one very mixed up wine. Others,
less sensitive apparently to the residual sugar (about 7 or 8 grams/liter-- 5 is about
threshold for most people), found this to be an enjoyable glass of wine.

Please note: The wines tasted are not always wines
we have (or have had) in the shop.
Many bottles are merely for our enological exploration.
Price quoted are current at the time of the tasting, but may be different
when you're reading this.

WE HAVE NOT ORGANIZED A TASTING IN A WHILE...
BUT WE DO POST THE RESULTS OF A PRIVATE TASTING GROUP THAT'S BEEN MEETING FOR
MORE THAN 40 YEARS!

We are working on
organizing some blind-tastings at the shop.
Send us a note to indicate your interest in participating.
These would be on Wednesday evenings and you'd need to bring 8 wine glasses.